In the news...

Headlines August 16, 2013

News:

President Obama Aug. 15 canceled joint military maneuvers between U.S. and Egyptian troops scheduled for next month as he seeks to find levers the U.S. can use to quell deadly clashes in the North African nation and force both sides back into negotiations.

Business:

Boeing has asked airlines to inspect their 787 Dreamliner jets to ensure proper configuration of fire extinguishing bottles after this week uncovering a defect it said stemmed from an error that occurred at a supplier.

Synchronizing new product development, supply chain, production and Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul strategies across Aerospace and Defense manufacturers while reducing costs continues to make cloud platforms a viable option in A&D.

Defense:

Under pressure from Congress, the Pentagon Aug. 15 announced several revamped policies to prevent and prosecute sexual-assault cases, but the measures did little to satisfy some lawmakers and advocacy groups pushing for bigger changes.

The Pentagon is spending millions on cars, trucks and buses that are sitting unused in the nation’s capital. The agency’s internal watchdog said two-thirds of the 774 non-combat vehicles owned by four Defense Department offices in the Washington area did not meet minimum usage requirements, with 89 of the 511 being driven less than 1,000 miles in a year.

An active duty Army officer is urging a thorough house cleaning of Army generals and a restructuring of the service after more than a decade of leadership failures. “The U.S. Army’s generals, as a group, have lost the ability to effectively function at the high level required of those upon whom we place the responsibility for safeguarding our nation,” Army Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis stated in an article published online by Armed Forces Journal.

Veterans:

An 18-year Navy veteran from Norwich is joining forces with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal to try to persuade the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to abide by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling concerning gay marriage and extend all federal benefits to veterans with same-sex spouses.

As the centenary of the Great War approaches, so does a tide of yet more books about it — it must be the most written-about war in history. Richard van Emden is a World War I specialist who has found a niche, little explored, charting the personal contacts between Britons and Germans and their feelings about each other as the war progressed.

Space:

Voyager 1 appears to have at long last left our solar system and entered interstellar space … Or has it? The spacecraft, which carries Earthly greetings on a gold plated phonograph record, has travelled farther from Earth than any other human-made object.

A massive multimillion degree gas cloud has been discovered in a galaxy 60 million light years from Earth. The cloud is likely to have been caused by a huge drawn-out collision between a dwarf galaxy and a much larger galaxy – and this collision could continue for another 50 million years.

Europe’s biggest ever telecommunications satellite has switched on its innovative British payload to begin a month of testing. Seven-meter-long Alphasat – dubbed the “A380 of space” – was launched at the end of July, and is gradually being commissioned prior to entering service.

Technology:

For the first time ever, the United States government is acknowledging the existence of the enigmatic military base in the southern Nevada desert famously known as Area 51. But its purpose, according to recently released documents, is far less spectacular than most UFO enthusiasts would have hoped.

International:

In the steamy heat of mid-August, the tranquil, cherry tree-shaded grounds of Yasukuni Shrine in the heart of Tokyo seem an unlikely hotbed of provocation. But visits by senior Japanese government officials to the shrine, whose grounds also house a war museum glorifying Japan’s wartime past, routinely anger neighboring China and South Korea, highlighting lingering resentments 68 years after the end of World War II.

Senior sources confirmed that Scottish government officials were informed at NATO headquarters that countries wanting to join are not allowed to “import” existing military or territorial disputes into the alliance. But Alex Salmond has promised to force the removal of the U.K.’s Trident nuclear submarines from their Faslane base on the Clyde as soon as possible after independence.

Local military discounts

News: Pentagon chief mulls easing military enlistment standards - Defense Secretary Ash Carter is considering easing some military enlistment standards as part of a broader set of initiatives to better attract and keep quality service members and civilians across the Defense Department. Business: Lockheed pays $2 million to settle government overbilling charges - Lockheed Martin Corpor...

Landing mishap for military chopper; two aboard unhurt Two Navy officers were unhurt after their helicopter rolled on its side while landing in the Florida Panhandle. The mishap happened the night of March 27 at a Navy landing site in Pensacola, Fla. The Pensacola News Journal reports a pilot instructor and a student were able...

Top Navy and Air Force officials today told the House Armed Services subcommittee on tactical air and land forces the president’s budget request for fiscal year 2016 will support modernizing combat aviation programs. Cavy Vice Adm. Paul A. Grosklags, principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisitions; Air...

Raytheon has been awarded a contract valued at up to $45.7 million by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems for ground segments in support of four Global Hawk unmanned aircraft systems recently purchased by the Republic of Korea. Under this contract, Raytheon will deliver one building-based and one mobile ground segment to locations in South Korea. Work...

Air Force photograph by SrA. Victor J. Caputo A B-29 Superfortress aircraft, named Doc after its nose art, sit on the flightline March 23, 2015, in Wichita, Kan. Doc will be one of two Superfortresses in the world capable of fl...

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